Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-07-17
SLEEP ON A FARM.
Experience of n Young Man Who Became
n Granger by the Advice of a Malevolent
Physician.
D1kOil Bel.

W tho
Physician.
Dakota Bel.
"No," said the pale young man sadly,
81 am not working on a farm for my
health now"
''Is that SOP"
"Yes. | have come away, and the farm
which knew me would perhaps know me
yet if it could get a sight Of me, but it
can't.
81 went, you know, by the advice of a
physician. Said he: You need outdoor
exercise, and, above all, sleep, such long,
quiet nights sleep as you can only find in
the country, away from the noise and heat
of the city, with the great open windows
and the cool and velvety breeze floating
through your room all night long, with
perhaps an occasional night with the pat
tering rain upon the root to lull you to
Sleep That's what the physician said.
80 l hired ont to a farmer to work all
summer. He said l was so white and pale
that he couldn't give me anything but my
board for my services, but if l wanted to
work for that l might climb i'll behind the
seat and ride out.
80 / did. He had one mule and one
horse, and the mule baked every time we
went up hill and the horse every time We
went down hill, and they both tried to run
away on the level.
He drove them with a trace-chain tied
on a white ash axe helye..
M. -. - ODD ALA., - 1nnk 1nntk
want to tell you anything about the work
today haven't time-but | feel as if |
must say something about those long
nights sleep.
The first night we got home late, but
still the sun was only nicely down. The
sun sets about two hours later out there
than anywhere else in the known world.
"After supper the farmer spent one hour
and a half telling Inc about the flax crop
on the back 40, and then he reckoned we
better milk. There were IL cows, and he
said each would take six. Hegave me the
kickers, and it took me two hours, and il
had been dark a long time when finished.
Then he had me pump up water for the
next day, and it took 40 minutes. Then |
filled the wood-box and split the kindling
wood. And, as it was a big box, it took 80
minutes. Then he told me about the oat
crop, which took an hour. And when
| went 10 bed it was growing light in
the east.
"The window in the room was q pane of
glass nailed over an irregular hole i'll the
boards and could not be opened. l felt
around in the dim light and finally got
into bed. l had just fallen asleep and
had begun to dream was lying along the
ridge-pole ola double-humped camel, when
the farmer pounded on the stairs with an
old broomstick and sa d breakfast was
ready. / cOuldn's see as it was any lighter
than when | went to bed, though the sky
in the east was q little redder.
81 will pass over the day, for it is pain
full to recall. Or rather the day and the
last end of one night and first end of an
other, for we were in the bayfield, 16 hours.
"And that evening after supper he said
| might throw the dirt ont of anew cellar
while | rested.
'"Then we MIXED and he gave me eight
COWS instead of six-all kickers. And one
OF them was q hooker 100, and slammed me
through the corn-crib.
IL got to bed an hour sooner than the
night before because he said he was think
ing Of getting up early the next morning.
And that night it rained, and / heard
the pleasant patter OF the rain on the roof
hat that old rand ola doctor spoke about.
But it didn't lull me to sleep, because it
leaked down on me and got the bed
clothes all wet, and | caught cold.
And when the farmer pounded on the
stairs | got up and looked at my watch and
l had been abed an hour and forty min
utes. And my clothes were wet and there
was water in my shoes.
But it was a good day and we worked
at the hay again. We moved down what
the farmer called q 'slather' of it. And
that night after | had rested awhile in the
cellar and MIXED the twelve cows-twelve
kickers-and one of them thought / was
trying to kidnap her calf and chased me
out Of the yard-the farmer said it looked
like rain again and he reckoned we'd bet
ter go out and cock up that hay before bed
time.
And before we got to the field / saw the
morning star, and when / had got up IL
lunches of hay and the old hypocrite of q
farmer four, l heard a lark. Then when /
had up "a punches and the farmer six, it
began TO grow quite light.
When the farmer saw it he laid down
on the hay and laughed for 10 minutes.
He said we had worked right through the
night without knowing it.,
But had known more about il than he
thought l had.
We worked an hour longer and then we
went to the house and | MIXED. Breakfast
wasn't quite ready, and l threw a couple
of cubic yards of sand out of the bottom of
the cellar.
"And while We were eating the farmer
told me to hurry, because be would like to
get in one full days work during haying.
| said l would, too, aud that / would stop
and go out and harness the horses. And
he said that was business, and / went out
and ran down the road and walked into
town.
"And now | am looking for that old liar
of a physician and surgeon who told me
about the long nights sleep l would get on
a farm"
No Reward.